Guertena and his ? Novels
by aBeautifulWorld
Summary: A story about a man's unexpected delight in discovering the world of ? novels, much to the bemusement of his wife. Another short Guertena piece, inspired by a rather controversial book back in the Gallery.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ib or any of the elements in the game. They belong to their respective owner, Kouri; I am merely using them for my own creative amusement.

**AN: **This was a (very late) night fic after a hilarious skype conversation with a friend. We were discussing why there was a ? book in the gallery and somehow I came up with this. Amata is masterguertena's OC on tumblr, and I had permission to play with her for a while. Warning: crack-ish humour and a side of Guertena we had never expected to see.

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**Guertena and his ? Novels**

He had never understood Amata's reading taste. She had always enjoyed frivolous fantasies, indulging in the pleasures of strong, muscular men in kilts and far too scantily clad ladies in the mountain air, or the pirates of the southern oceans rendezvousing with the sensual sirens. He had never _tried_ one, of course, for he was always too busy indulging in his own pleasures of the craft and had his own books to read, in a _separate_ bookshelf from hers.

Guertena had never imagined that he would have finished all his titles, one fateful day. That he would have finished all his paints, one fateful day. That he would be here, one fateful day.

He had never imagined that one day he would be standing in front of his wife's bookshelf, a trembling hand hovering over the different… _intriguing_ titles to select from, breathing slow and shallow as he was about to take a huge step in their marriage. What would he find in these pages, what would he discover that his dear Amata was always so enamoured by? He blinked away the hesitance and simply slid his finger onto the spine of one book, pulling it slowly until he could slide the book from the shelf.

He looked left and right in the room, ears straining for any signal that she was back from the shops and marketplace with food and his paints. He hadn't meant to not restock his paints. Time slipped passed without him noticing and just as he was about to add the final brushstroke, everything was _gone._

The house was silent. He let out a sigh of relief, quickly heading to his study.

X

Amata knocked on the door of Guertena's painting room, opening the door in curiosity when he did not respond. "Weiss, darling?"

She set the paints on his work table and checked the open balcony, wondering if he went out for a breath of fresh air. She frowned when he was nowhere in sight, scratching the back of her neck in wonder. She turned back, about to call his name when she gasped in shock, her husband suddenly appearing right in front of her.

He grinned and gave her a tight hug. She was frozen stiff in his arms, a mixture of puzzlement and delight warring inside her. She eventually returned the hug, sighing in relief.

"Sorry for worrying you, Amata dearest." He pulled back and gave her nose a quick peck, "Thank you for the paints, my sunset."

"Weiss, um—"

He wrapped an arm around her waist and ushered her to the door, before suddenly swooping in for a rather passionate kiss on the lips. She blinked furiously, but had no time to question his bizarre actions as he quite brusquely pushed her out of the room.

"I'd like to finish this painting as soon as possible so I shall see you at dinner, gorgeous angel."

"Weiss—" He closed the door, preventing any further conversation. She had never imagined her husband was so… affectionate? "Sunset? Angel?"

She crossed her arms, brows furrowed, wondering why in Heaven's name her normally quite proper husband sounded like the hero from A Sinful Majesty?

X

Amata stretched like a kitten, feeling like reading a few pages of her latest novel before preparing dinner. She squealed in excitement to herself, dashing off to the bookcase in her bedroom. She picked out the heavy book, caressing it in her hands and happily sighing at the prospect of another romance filled night. She swept her plum coloured hair onto her other shoulder before noticing something was amiss with her bookshelf.

Was she missing a book?

So she was.

She looked left and right, wondering if she had somehow left it laying about. She tapped her chin in contemplation, recalling that she had not read that particular book in the past two weeks, having moved on to the sequel. She whined a little at the back of her throat and placed the heavy book back, saving it for another steamy evening.

She walked towards the other rooms in a determined march to recover her prized possession. As she passed by the open door of her husband's study, Amata saw the most curious sight.

"Weiss?"

"Hm?"

Her husband was nose deep in a book, _her_ book, when he was painting only half an hour ago. He onlyever emerged from the room after a few hours, covered in paint smears and a wearing a tired, yet satisfied grin. His legs were crossed tightly and his back hunched over, almost as if he couldn't get enough of the words on the pages.

"Weiss darling, is that… is that _mine?"_

His eyes scanning the pages at a furious rate suddenly came to a halt and blinked, seemingly surprised at himself. He sat up straight and faced her fully, his cheeks and the tip of his ears stained a rosy red.

"It might be."

She stared at him openly, the corners of her mouth twitching. "Do you like it?"

He snapped the book shut and placed it on his lap, his eyes shifting away from her. He formed his words slowly, as if it physically pained him to say it. "Maybe."

She broke into a grin, "Do you want to read the sequel, first?"

She had never seen him move so fast. One moment he was at their white sofa, the next he had his arm wrapped around her waist and the novel tucked under his arm, ushering her back to her bookshelf. She giggled out loud at his uncharacteristic behaviour, no longer able to keep it in. She stuttered out broken, unintelligent phrases as she tripped on her own feet, Guertena supporting her and trying to run away all at once.

"W-Who knew?"

"It's something different."

"T-The great Weiss G-Guertena—"

"You have excellent reading taste."

She had never imagined those words would flow so easily through his mouth. She must introduce his to her favourite collection when the time comes. She gave a big, happy sigh, patting her husband on the chest. "Thank you, darling."

"Is there a whole series?"

"Yes."

He nodded approvingly, "Excellent."

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**AN: **I am working on the next chapter of TMB, don't worry. This was just a quick, fun thing I wanted to share in the meantime. Take care and see you guys again soon x


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